From Spain to Finland, Latvia to Portugal, this summer I’ve had the luck to not only to practice the languages that constitute my MML course (in the hope that it counts as summer work), but also to exercise my keen eye – attuned to the various ways young people aesthetically express themselves throughout Europe. The conclusion? The range is huge, as I’ve come to realise climate and culture may still pervade even the most modern and diverse nations in mainland Europe.
Having just finished my final exam consisting of a near-excruciating five hour long Russian paper in mid-June, a friend and I took off to Spain, specifically Valencia and Madrid, where I hoped the ease of the Spanish language would soothe the bruised ego Part IA Russian had left me with.
In the heat of mid-June, all I saw around me were the flashy bikinis (when not venturing onto the nude beaches) of girls both local and vacationing, bold and colourful jewellery along with Lacoste jumpers, slung over the shoulders – the classic staple of Iberian men. The bareness of skin seemed ubiquitous in coastal Valencia, where the only stroll the day necessitated was the one from the flea market to the beach. Contrast that to Madrid, where the drier climate of central Spain invoked linens from white to maroon hues paired with the bolder fashion statements as one would find in any capital. My memory of Spain’s aesthetic expression is thus preserved in the summertime, writing this now in breezy September, where I’d like to imagine the girls are still strolling to the beach in pink-and-white bikinis and the boys have no need to quite put on those Lacoste jumpers just yet.
“It seemed that the warmth of early July did not prevent whatever cool airs made it possible for the locals to wear their leather trench coats”
After a brief interlude back in Cambridge dazzled by the glamour of May Balls, the next stop was Berlin, Germany. Per the stereotype, we found it was indeed all leather and lace both in and out of the techno clubs. A striking contrast to the Mediterranean, not an hour would go by in which we wouldn’t catch a glimpse of a 50-year-old studded in spikes or a teenage boy in combat boots to match his lip tattoos. It seemed that the warmth of early July did not prevent whatever cool airs made it possible for the locals to wear their leather trench coats, for even amid the sweating pulse of the rave, such outerwear seemed as necessary as a pair of shades. Looking back, I can’t imagine that many more layers could even be possible to add on now that the wind blows cool for autumn.
Resting at home back in London in the hopes of curing the deadly hangover our week-long bender in Berlin had left before the next destination, it seemed nothing had ever changed in my home city. Brandy Melville tops basking in the sun, set upon fake-tanned skin, and white socks pulled up over a go-to pair of Adidas, on the days where clouds wouldn’t inspire autumnal outfits, London seemed as familiar as ever in its July glory.
The date of the next flight arrived in due course, and I found myself atop the hills of Lisbon in Portugal. Subtler than their peninsular neighbour but still retaining that Mediterranean nonchalance, the Portuguese seemed to have a taste that could only be replicated within their own borders. Warm gold statement necklaces adorned the women’s chests with little to no makeup and flip flops rather than trainers (a friend there informed me that visible white socks were in fact not fashionable, much to my northern embarrassment). Loose darker clothes and a cigarette tucked behind the ear at all times, Lisbon and Sintra seemed to me for certain places I could blend myself into, in spite of my love for white lace socks atop some trainers.
“Flashes of the glitzy clubbing tops dazzling me in Duplex and Dog Bar still colour my mind’s eye”
Leaving that lovely Mediterranean pocket I had spent the month in, I made my way up north to the Czech Republic, headed for Prague on a clubbing spree with a friend. Disappointing as it is, I would feel it unjustified to speak on Prague fashion sentiments in much depth, if not for the short duration of our stay, then for the fact that it seemed even by early September to be a very popular touristic destination for foreigners who must be placed (just as yours truly) into the category of observers, not contributors, of Czech style. Nonetheless, flashes of the glitzy clubbing tops dazzling me in Duplex and Dog Bar still colour my mind’s eye.
And the last triptych of my cloudy northern Europe this September: Tallinn, Riga and Helsinki. Starting off in Tallinn, my friend Lara and I made sure to add to our list of travelled-to countries with our Russian school taking up only four days of the week. But not to skip over Tallinn just yet, which seemed to have the same dark alternative statements of Berlin among the young people (who seem to be almost all miraculously blonde), just with less spikes and if it were also adopted by girls of the so-called Stockholm style. Tall as the people all seem to be here, the prevalent fur and duffel coats all seem to fall to the knees – coats that personally would be hitting my heels.
“I’ll be back within the stone walls of our Cambridge, where I’d like to believe we manage to create our own distinctive sense of fashion between all the supervisions and assignments”
Then Riga, the capital of Estonia’s Baltic neighbour, with its people of seemingly darker hair yet lighter eyes, where fur market stalls run amok for shockingly low prices and the heads of elderly woman are always covered woollen, handmade hats. One detail we noticed in Riga was the pride in traditional Latvian culture, particularly on traditional female dress, as seen on women in street parades we watched.
Now the brief finale: Helsinki. Surprisingly close to their Estonian neighbour, it too seemed to me very much Scandi-girl-meet-alternative, despite Finland being strictly Nordic not Scandinavian!
And so, it’s not long now that, as with everyone else, I’ll be back within the stone walls of our Cambridge, where I’d like to believe we (especially us Sidgwick girls!) manage to create our own distinctive sense of fashion between all the supervisions and assignments. Grateful as I am with all the fashionable experience I’ve garnered this summer, I’m now curious to see how I’ll be integrating these new European inspirations and styling myself within such walls amid such busy schedules.
